BEREA, Ohio – For Cleveland Browns head coach Pettine, a little distance and a close review of the video footage didn't make Saturday's 33-14 loss to St. Louis any easier to take. Nor did it make the first-year head coach rethink his decision to name Hoyer his team's starting quarterback.

"There's no sugarcoating it. We didn't play well," Pettine said.

And now, the Browns' biggest opponent isn't the Chicago Bears, who come to Cleveland for the preseason finale on Thursday, or even the Pittsburgh Steelers in the regular-season opener now just two weeks away. Pettine and Browns find themselves fighting against the calendar, realizing just how much they need to fix, and how little time they have left to do it.

Pettine admitted Sunday that the prolonged quarterback competition between Hoyer and rookie Johnny Manziel – a battle that started in the spring and ended on Wednesday – but the first-team offense behind in terms of chemistry between Hoyer and the receivers. The result has been three sloppy preseason games in which Hoyer has led just one touchdown drive. That five-yard score to receiver Andrew Hawkins was one of few offensive highlights for the starters. Hoyer also threw an interception and lost a fumble on a strip sack on the first play of the third quarter.

"We still feel like we are definitely a work in progress. We have a very true sense of urgency," Pettine said. "Nobody is going to change Sept. 7, push that back for us. We have to be ready for the opener. And that's why we're going to take the field this week and the week after that with a very strong sense of urgency."

Indeed, the Browns – and Hoyer in particular – need every moment of practice on Monday and Tuesday, as well as game time on Thursday on a night when many starting quarterbacks around the league will be sitting out.

Hoyer still is often out of sync with his receivers, has not had time to build chemistry with veteran Nate Burleson, who remains sidelined with an injury, and played Saturday without No. 1 receiver Josh Gordon as part of the Browns' plan to prepare for Gordon's impending suspension. Gordon, who is also dealing with a minor abdominal injury, was in uniform Saturday night.

"Brian knows what he needs to work on, and we need to play better around him. That's important," Pettine said. "Brian knows he needs to get better and needs more live game reps. That's the one positive of having a shorter week, we know we didn't play well but we can go out there Thursday and get the bad taste out of our mouth."

And all of those first-team issues is part of the reason why Pettine is hesitant to commit to employing a two-quarterback system with Hoyer and Manziel any time soon. Installing what has already been dubbed a "Johnny Package" by the local media would require practice time to be taken away from Hoyer and the rest of the starting lineup.

But given the energy Manziel provided, not just to the Browns, but to the restless home crowd at FirstEnergy Stadium Saturday night, should keep the idea alive.

"It's something that's an option for us, but timing of it will be a question, when we feel comfortable with it, or if we feel like it's necessary," Pettine said.

Johnny Manziel received his first regular-season action in Week 2, taking three snaps against the Saints. The rookie handed off twice and threw one incomplete pass in the Browns' come-from-behind win.
Andrew Weber, USA TODAY Sports

Browns players and coaches have praised Manziel's early approach, showing appreciation for his work ethic and willingness to keep a low profile in the locker room, something rookies are generally expected to do no matter how famous.
Andrew Weber, USA TODAY Sports